'Canada lives because of the United States,' Trump says while jabbing Carney

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Canada owes its continued existence to the United States while calling out Prime Minister Mark Carney for delivering a speech that condemned coercion by great powers.

Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, where he made the case for a U.S. acquisition of Greenland, Trump said he needs the Danish territory for his proposed "golden dome," a missile defence system that could cover North America.

Trump said the dome will protect Canada due to geography and the country isn't grateful enough that such a system is in the works. Carney has been non-committal in the past about Canada participating in or paying for what Trump is floating.

"Canada gets a lot of freebies from us. By the way, they should be grateful but they're not," Trump said.

"I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful — they should be grateful to the U.S., Canada. Canada lives because of the United States," Trump said, an apparent reference to the military protection the U.S. provides to the continent.

"Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements," he said, but not to the prime minister directly, who left the summit before Trump delivered his remarks. The two did not meet on the sidelines of the summit.

Without invoking Trump by name, Carney referenced "American hegemony" and said Tuesday that world powers are using economic integration as "weapons."

"Canadians know that our old, comfortable assumption that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security is no longer valid," Carney said.

As it grapples with this new dynamic, Carney said Canada must be "principled and pragmatic" and turn inward to build up the country and diversify trading relationships to become less reliant on countries like the U.S., now that it's clear integration can lead to "subordination."

Carney said this more isolationist approach, where there's a "world of fortresses," will make countries poorer, fragile and less sustainable. But, he said, it's coming nonetheless and Canada must work with like-minded allies where possible to push back against domination by larger, wealthier and well-armed countries.

"The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger and more just."

During his long, rambling remarks, Trump again referenced Canada while he was touting the supposed benefits of his global tariffs regime.

He said these levies are bringing "hundreds of big factories [and] car plants" back to the U.S.

"[They're] coming in from Canada, coming in from Mexico, from Japan. Japan's coming in and building plants here in order to avoid tariffs," Trump said.